Necessity is often the mother of invention. That goes for dinner menus and column-writing as well. Deadline time seems to roll around quicker and quicker every two weeks and I once again found myself without inspiration or an appetite. As luck turned out, I just happened to have several electrical issues at the house, so I called my trusty electrician Jeff Beals, owner of Eagle Electric (and one of the few people who have busted me with no makeup on and curlers in my hair after oversleeping for early morning appointments). Anyway, Jeff loves to cook, and he was telling me that he had just purchased some good-looking beef ribs and we got to talking about the best ways to cook them. After Jeff left, I remembered that I had posted a crockpot recipe for beef ribs on YouTube a couple of months ago. When I Googled the reel, much to my surprise, I learned that the video currently has 50,277 views. Who knew?! Suddenly, my appetite came back and I had a column. I’m sharing the ridiculously easy recipe for my now famous (at least on YouTube) Country-Style Beef Ribs along with two favorite side dishes. These are all great for a weeknight supper or even a small dinner party. Oh, the joys of small town life! Isn’t it fun when things work out just the way that they’re supposed to? Thanks for the inspiration, Jeff!

 


Blue Cheese Chopped Salad

For the cinnamon pecans:

1 pound pecan halves (about 4 cups)

¼ cup sugar

1 heaping teaspoon ground cinnamon

1 egg white, beaten

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil. Combine sugar, cinnamon, and egg white in a medium bowl. Add pecans and stir to coat thoroughly. Spread pecans evenly on prepared baking sheet. Bake in preheated oven for 25 to 30 minutes, tossing every 10 minutes, until pecans are crispy and dry. Cool completely. Store in an airtight container.

For the vinaigrette:

2 tablespoons champagne vinegar

1½ teaspoons Dijon mustard

6 tablespoons vegetable oil

1/8 teaspoon salt

Freshly ground black pepper

Whisk all ingredients together in a small bowl. Refrigerate any unused vinaigrette.

For the salad:

3 cups chopped hearts of romaine

3 cups chopped green leaf lettuce

1/3 cup finely chopped carrots

2 green onions, chopped

Grape tomatoes, diced

½ cup crumbled blue cheese

¼ cup chopped cinnamon pecans

In a large salad bowl, toss lettuces with carrots and green onion. Dress, to taste, with vinaigrette. Top with diced tomatoes, blue cheese, and cinnamon pecans. Serves 4.

 

Country-Style Beef Ribs

1-1½ pounds boneless chuck country-style ribs

Salt and pepper

¾ cup BBQ sauce

⅓ cup steak sauce

¼ cup vinegar and pepper BBQ sauce

Season ribs with salt and pepper and place in crock pot. Add BBQ sauce, steak sauce and vinegar and pepper BBQ sauce. Cover and cook on high for 4 to 6 hours or until tender. Serves 3 to 4. *I used Sweet Baby Rays BBQ Sauce, Heinz 57 Steak Sauce, and Scott’s BBQ Sauce from Goldsboro, NC.

 

Celebration Potatoes

1 (32-ounce) bag frozen diced hash browns, thawed in the refrigerator

2 cups shredded sharp cheddar cheese

2 cups sour cream

1 (10.5-ounce) can cream of chicken soup

10 tablespoons melted butter, divided

2 teaspoons dried minced onion

½-¾ teaspoon salt

¼ teaspoon black pepper

3 cups corn flakes cereal, crushed

Thaw potatoes overnight in the refrigerator. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray a 9×13-inch casserole dish with cooking spray. Mix hash browns, cheddar cheese, sour cream, soup, 6 tablespoons melted butter, dried minced onion, salt, and pepper in a large bowl until well combined. Spoon mixture into prepared casserole dish. Place cornflakes in a large ziplock bag and crush gently. Add remaining 4 tablespoons melted butter to the crushed cornflakes and toss to combine. Sprinkle mixture evenly over potatoes. Bake, uncovered, for 40 to 50 minutes. Serves 12.

 

The writer owns Catering by Debbi Covington and is the author of three cookbooks, Celebrate Beaufort, Celebrate Everything! and Dining Under the Carolina Moon. For more great recipes and to view her cooking demonstrations, visit and subscribe to Debbi’s YouTube channel. Debbi’s website address is www.cateringbydebbicovington.com. She may be reached at 843-525-0350 or by email at dbc@cateringbydebbicovington.com.